US10007413B2 - Mixed environment display of attached control elements - Google Patents

Abstract

Technologies described herein provide a mixed environment display of attached control elements. The techniques disclosed herein enable users of a first computing device to interact with a remote computing device configured to control an object, such as a light, appliance, or any other suitable object. Configurations disclosed herein enable the first computing device to cause one or more actions, such as a selection of the object or the display of a user interface, by capturing and analyzing input data defining the performance of one or more gestures, such as a user looking at the object controlled by the second computing device. Rendered graphical elements configured to enable the control of the object can be displayed with a real-world view of the object.

Description

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

This application is a continuation-in-part of co-pending U.S. application Ser. No. 14/824,042 filed Aug. 11, 2015 entitled “Mixed Environment Display of Attached Data,” which is a non-provisional application of co-pending U.S. Application No. 62/153,460 filed Apr. 27, 2015 entitled “Enhanced Configuration and Control of Robots,” both applications of which are expressly incorporated herein by reference.

BACKGROUND

The use of Internet-connected devices is becoming commonplace in many aspects of everyday living. Such devices enable users to control and communicate with just about anything from a remote location. For instance, Internet-connected devices can be used to control appliances, lights, thermostats, automobiles, and security systems. Many different industries have demonstrated creative ways in which Internet-connected devices can be utilized.

Although current technologies provide many benefits, product designers of Internet-connected devices continue to face a number of challenges. For instance, because of the need to find energy-efficient, low-cost solutions to further the affordability and the ubiquity of such devices, such devices do not commonly utilize expensive user interface components, such as display screens, touch screens, and the like. In the absence of such interface components, common designs can involve the use of Web server software that enable users to interact with the device from a remote computer operating a Web browser. Such configurations enable users to receive and view status information and send control commands to the device through a Web page.

Although Web-based interface solutions are cheaper than display screens and touch screens, Web-based interface solutions do not always provide a positive user experience when interacting with such devices. For example, management tasks may be particularly difficult when a user is required to interact with a large number of devices. If a user is managing hundreds of Internet-connected devices, he or she is required to maintain Web address records for each device and navigate to each device independently. In addition, given the low-cost nature of common designs, most user interfaces generated by Internet-connected devices do not provide an optimal layout for control buttons and status data.

It is with respect to these and other considerations that the disclosure made herein is presented.

SUMMARY

Technologies described herein provide a mixed environment display of attached control elements. Configurations enable users of a first computing device to interact with a remote computing device configured to control an object, such as a light, appliance, appliance, or any other suitable object. In some configurations, the first computing device causes one or more actions, such as a selection of an object or the display of a user interface, by capturing and analyzing input data defining the performance of one or more gestures, such as a user looking at the object controlled by the second computing device. In some configurations, the displayed user interface includes graphical elements configured to control the object, and the graphical elements can be displayed with a real-world view of the object. The graphical elements can be configured to indicate associations between the real-world view of the object and displayed content, e.g., status data and control buttons. The renderings of graphically attached user interface elements with a view of an object or components of an object enable users to readily identify associations between observed objects and displayed content.

In some configurations, a first computing device, such as a head-mounted display (HMD), can include a hardware display surface configured to create transparent sections enabling a user to view objects through the hardware display surface. In addition, the hardware display surface is configured to display rendered graphical elements over and around the objects viewed through the hardware display surface. The first computing device can obtain control data defining one or more commands for controlling a second computing device. The second computing device can be, for example, configured to control an object, such as an appliance, lamp, garage door opener, or any other item that can be controlled or affected by a device or component.

The first computing device can then display a graphical element comprising the one or more commands on the hardware display surface. The graphical element can be displayed with a real-world view of an object controlled by the second computing device through a transparent section of the hardware display surface. In addition, the graphical element can display status data received from the second computing device. The first computing device can also interpret a gesture or input performed by a user to generate data defining an input command. The first computing device can also communicate the data defining the input command to the second computing device. The second computing device can control the object in response to receiving the input command.

The first computing device can also enable users to select a remote computing device by performing one or more natural gestures or other forms of input. For example, a user can select the second computing device by looking at the second computing device or an object controlled by the second computing device through the hardware display surface of the first computing device. Once the second computing device is selected, the first computing device, among many different actions, can initiate communication with the second computing device and/or control an object by communicating with the second computing device.

It should be appreciated that the above-described subject matter may also be implemented as a computer-controlled apparatus, a computer process, a computing system, or as an article of manufacture such as a computer-readable medium. These and various other features will be apparent from a reading of the following Detailed Description and a review of the associated drawings.

This Summary is provided to introduce a selection of concepts in a simplified form that are further described below in the Detailed Description. This Summary is not intended to identify key features or essential features of the claimed subject matter, nor is it intended that this Summary be used to limit the scope of the claimed subject matter. Furthermore, the claimed subject matter is not limited to implementations that solve any or all disadvantages noted in any part of this disclosure.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing several example devices for enabling a mixed environment display of attached control elements;

FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing several example components of the devices shown inFIG. 1;

FIGS. 3A-3D illustrate views of two objects and renderings of graphical elements having a shape configured to show an association between the contents of the graphical elements and the respective objects;

FIGS. 4A-4C illustrate a view of an object and a rendering of a graphical element having a component configured to show an association between the contents of the graphical element and the object;

FIGS. 5A-5C illustrate a view of an object and a rendering of a graphical element comprising selectable control elements and status data, the graphical element having a component configured to show an association between the contents of the graphical elements and the object;

FIG. 6 is flow a diagram illustrating a routine that may be used for providing a mixed environment display of attached control elements;

FIG. 7 is a computer architecture diagram illustrating an illustrative computer hardware and software architecture for a computing system capable of implementing aspects of the techniques and technologies presented herein;

FIG. 8 is a diagram illustrating a distributed computing environment capable of implementing aspects of the techniques and technologies presented herein; and

FIG. 9 is a computer architecture diagram illustrating a computing device architecture for a computing device capable of implementing aspects of the techniques and technologies presented herein.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Technologies described herein provide a mixed environment display of attached control elements. The techniques disclosed herein enable users to use a first computing device to interact with a second computing device configured to control an object, such as a light, appliance, vehicle, thermostat, or any other suitable object. Configurations disclosed herein enable the first computing device to cause one or more actions, such as a selection of an object or the display of a user interface, by capturing and analyzing input data defining the performance of one or more gestures, such as a user looking at the object controlled by the second computing device. In some configurations, the displayed user interface includes graphical elements configured to control the object, and the graphical elements can be displayed with a real-world view of the object. The graphical elements can be configured to indicate associations between the real-world view of the object and displayed content, e.g., status data and control buttons. The renderings of graphically attached user interface elements with a view of an object or components of an object enable users to readily identify associations between observed objects and displayed content.

In some configurations, a first computing device, such as a head-mounted display (HMD), can include a hardware display surface configured to create transparent sections enabling a user to view objects through the hardware display surface. In addition, the hardware display surface is configured to display rendered graphical elements over and around the objects viewed through the hardware display surface. The first computing device can obtain control data defining one or more commands for controlling a second computing device. The second computing device can be, for example, a controller for an appliance, light, or any other item that can be controlled by a computer.

The first computing device can then display a graphical element comprising the one or more commands on the hardware display surface. The graphical element can be displayed with a real-world view of an object controlled by the second computing device through a transparent section of the hardware display surface. In addition, the graphical element can display status data received from the second computing device. The first computing device can also interpret a gesture or input performed by a user to generate data defining an input command. The first computing device can also communicate the data defining the input command to the second computing device for controlling and/or influencing the object based, at least in part, on the gesture or input performed by the user.

The first computing device can also enable users to select a remote computing device by performing one or more gestures or other forms of input. For example, a user can select a remote computing device by looking at the remote computing device through the hardware display surface of the first computing device. Once a remote computing device is selected, the first computing device can initiate communication with the remote computing device and/or perform a number of interactions, such as those disclosed herein.

By the use of the technologies described herein, a user can interact with a number of remote computing devices without the need to manage and navigate through volumes of machine addresses and credentials. As will be described in more detail below, the disclosed technologies can improve user interaction with a large number of remote devices by allowing a user to selectively interact with a remote device by looking at a device or an object controlled by the device.

An interactive, mixed environment display enables a user to view graphical elements containing status data and contextually relevant controls along with a real-world view of the object or device they are interacting with. Among many benefits provided by the technologies described herein, a user's interaction with one or more devices can be improved, which may reduce the number of inadvertent inputs, reduce the consumption of processing resources, and mitigate the use of network resources. Other technical effects other than those mentioned herein can also be realized from an implementation of the technologies disclosed herein.

It should be appreciated that the above-described subject matter may be implemented as a computer-controlled apparatus, a computer process, a computing system, or as an article of manufacture such as a computer-readable storage medium. These and various other features will be apparent from a reading of the following Detailed Description and a review of the associated drawings. Furthermore, the claimed subject matter is not limited to implementations that solve any or all disadvantages noted in any part of this disclosure.

While the subject matter described herein is primarily presented in the general context of techniques for providing a mixed environment display of attached control elements, it can be appreciated that the techniques described herein may apply to any type of scenario where two or more people are in communication with one another.

As will be described in more detail herein, it can be appreciated that implementations of the techniques and technologies described herein may include the use of solid state circuits, digital logic circuits, computer component, and/or software executing on one or more devices. Signals described herein may include analog and/or digital signals for communicating a changed state, movement and/or any data associated with motion detection. Gestures captured by users of the computing devices can use any type of sensor or input device.

While the subject matter described herein is presented in the general context of program modules that execute in conjunction with the execution of an operating system and application programs on a computer system, those skilled in the art will recognize that other implementations may be performed in combination with other types of program modules. Generally, program modules include routines, programs, components, data structures, and other types of structures that perform particular tasks or implement particular abstract data types. Moreover, those skilled in the art will appreciate that the subject matter described herein may be practiced with other computer system configurations, including hand-held devices, multiprocessor systems, microprocessor-based or programmable consumer electronics, minicomputers, mainframe computers, and the like.

In the following detailed description, references are made to the accompanying drawings that form a part hereof, and in which are shown by way of illustration specific configurations or examples. Referring now to the drawings, in which like numerals represent like elements throughout the several figures, aspects of a computing system, computer-readable storage medium, and computer-implemented methodologies for providing a mixed environment display of attached control elements. As will be described in more detail below with respect toFIGS. 7-9, there are a number of applications and services that can embody the functionality and techniques described herein.

FIG. 1 is a system diagram showing aspects of oneexample environment100, also referred to herein as a “system100,” disclosed herein for providing a mixed environment display of attached control elements. In one illustrative example, theexample environment100 can include one ormore servers110, one ormore networks150, auser device102 associated with a user101, and one ormore controller devices103A through103E (collectively “controller devices103”). For illustrative purposes, theuser device102 and thecontroller devices103 are also referred to generically as “computing devices.”

FIG. 1 also illustrates aspects of an example scenario involving a number of objects that can be controlled by thecontroller devices103. In this example, thefirst controller device103A is configured to interact with and control agarage door opener104A. As also shown inFIG. 1, thesecond controller device103B is configured to interact with and control arange104B, thethird controller device103C is configured to interact with and control arefrigerator104C, thefourth controller device103D is configured to interact with and control afirst lamp104D, and thefifth controller device103E is configured to interact with and control asecond lamp104E. For illustrative purposes, thegarage door opener104A,range104B,refrigerator104C,first lamp104C, and thesecond lamp104E are also referred to herein as “objects104.” As will be described in more detail below, the techniques disclosed herein enable users to interact with, e.g., control, communicate with, and otherwise influence, the objects104 by the use of gestures and other forms of input interpreted by theuser device102.

The example shown inFIG. 1 is provided for illustrative purposes and is not to be construed as limiting. It can be appreciated that theexample environment100 can include any number ofcontroller devices103, any number ofuser devices102, any number of users101, any number ofservers110, and/or any number of objects104. It can also be appreciated that the objects may include many other types of items than those shown inFIG. 1.

Acontroller device103 can operate as a stand-alone device, or acontroller device103 can operate in conjunction with other computers, such as the one ormore servers110 orother controller devices103. In some configurations, thecontroller device103 can be a portable, single-board computer having one or more components for controlling other devices and/or objects. One example of a commerciallyavailable controller device103 is referred to as the RASPBERRY PI. Other examples include the PHOTON (Wi-Fi) and the ELECTRON (2G/3G cellular) produced by PARTICLE.IO. It can be appreciated that thecontroller device103 can also be in the form of a personal computer or any other computing device having components for providing communication to a network and components for interacting with one or more objects.

Theuser device102 can operate as a stand-alone device, or auser device102 can operate in conjunction with other computers, such as the one ormore servers110 orother user devices102. Theuser device102 can be in the form of a personal computer, a wearable computer, such as an HMD, or any other computing device having components for providing communication to a network and components for interacting with the user101. As will be described in more detail below, theuser device102 can be configured to receive input commands from the user101, including gestures that are captured by an input device, such as a camera, touchpad or keyboard.

Theuser device102,controller devices103,servers110 and/or any other computer can be interconnected through one or more local and/or wide area networks, such as thenetwork150. In addition, the computing devices can communicate using any technology, such as BLUETOOTH, WIFI, WIFI DIRECT, NFC or any other suitable technology, which may include light-based, wired, or wireless technologies. It should be appreciated that many more types of connections may be utilized than described herein.

Theservers110 may be in the form of a personal computer, server farm, large-scale system or any other computing system having components for processing, coordinating, collecting, storing, and/or communicating data between one or more computing devices. In some configurations, theservers110 can be associated with one or more service providers. A service provider can be a company, person or any type of entity that shares or leases computing resources for facilitating aspects of the techniques disclosed herein. Theservers110 can also include components and services, such as the application services and shown inFIG. 8 for executing one or more aspects of the techniques described herein.

Referring now toFIG. 2, aspects of theuser device102,controller devices103, andservers110 are described in more detail. In one illustrative example, aserver110 can include alocal memory180, also referred to herein as a “computer-readable storage medium,” configured to store data, such asinput data113, which can be generated by a device and caused by a user.Status data114 related to one or more computing devices or an object104 can also be stored in thelocal memory180 of theservers110. The data stored on one ormore servers110 can be a duplicate copy of data stored on thecontroller devices103 and/or theuser device102 to allow a centralized service to coordinate aspects of a number of client computers, such as thecontroller devices103 and/or theuser device102. It can be appreciated that theservers110 may store other forms of data other than those shown inFIG. 2.

In some configurations, anindividual server110 can include a server module107 configured to execute one or more aspects of the techniques described herein. Theserver110 can also include aninterface118, such as a screen for displaying data. In addition,server110 can also include aninput device119, such as a keyboard, mouse, microphone, camera, or any other device suitable to generate a signal and/or data defining any user interaction with theserver110. In some configurations, theservers110 can be configured to allow a user to interact with theservers110 from a remote location.

In some configurations, anindividual controller device103 can include alocal memory180, also referred to herein as a “computer-readable storage medium,” configured to store data,input data113, which can be generated by a device and caused by a user.Status data114 related to one or more devices can also be stored in thelocal memory180 of anindividual controller device103. Thelocal memory180 of anindividual controller device103 can include acontroller module121 configured to execute one or more aspects of the techniques described herein. Thecontroller module121 can operate as a stand-alone module or thecontroller module121 can operate in conjunction with other modules or computers, such as theservers110 and/orother user devices102.

Thelocal memory180 of thecontroller device103 can also storecontrol data115, which can define code, commands, or instructions that can be executed by acontroller device103. In some configurations, thecontrol data115 may include commands, code, object code, scripts, a compiled program, an interpreted program, or any other executable set of instructions that can be executed and/or interpreted by a computing device, such as one of thecontroller devices103, to perform one or more tasks. Thecontrol data115 can also define communication interfaces, such as an Application Programming Interface (API). As can be appreciated, such data can enable a remote computer to send command data (also referred to as “input command” data), to theindividual controller device103 by the use of the API.

Thecontrol data115 can be provided by acontroller device103 or thecontrol data115 can be provided by another resource, which may involve a service publishing aspects of thecontrol data115. As will be described in more detail below, when a computing device, such as theuser device102, obtains thecontrol data115, the computing device can provide commands conformed in accordance with thecontrol data115 to control aspects of thecontroller device103, and thus also influence or control an associated object.

Anindividual controller device103 can also include acontrol component122 for interacting with one or more objects104. Acontrol component122, for example, can include electrical relays for controlling power to one or more objects104, actuators for controlling the movement of one or more objects104 or components of an object104, and/or any type of device enabling the control of, or communication with, an object104. Anindividual controller device103 can also include asensor120. Asensor120, for example, can include a camera, a touch sensor, a proximity sensor, a death field camera, or any other type of input device for generatingstatus data114 related to an object104 and/or one ormore controller devices103.

In some configurations, theuser device102 can include alocal memory180 that storesinput data113, which can be generated by a device or a user. As will be described in more detail below, theinput data113 can be received from and/or generated by one or more components of theuser device102, such as asensor120 or aninput device119. Theinput data113 can also be generated by an internal or external resource, such as a GPS component, compass, or any other suitable component such as those shown inFIG. 9. Thesensor120, which can be a location tracking component, and one ormore input devices119, such as a camera, microphone or keypad, can generateinput data113, which can define any suitable form of user activity, such as a user's gestures, voice commands, gaze direction, etc. In other examples, theinput data113 can be received from one or more systems, such as a social network, email system, search engine, instant message system, or any other suitable application or platform. Examples of such systems can include the services and resources (814-824) shown inFIG. 8. One or more actions, such as the selection of an object or an interaction with an object, can be carried out based on an interpretation ofinput data113 from multiple sources.

Thememory180 of theuser device102 can also be used to storestatus114 related to one or more devices and/or components. In addition,memory180 of theuser device102 can also be used to store adevice module111 configured to manage techniques described herein and interactions between a user101 and theuser device102. For example, as will be described in more detail below, thedevice module111 can be configured to process and communicate thecontrol data115,status data114, andinput data113, and other data. In addition, thedevice module111 can be configured to execute one or more surface reconstruction algorithms and other algorithms for locating objects104 and capturing images of said objects104. Thedevice module111 may be in the form of a productivity application, game application, a virtual reality application, an operating system component or any other application configured to, among other techniques disclosed herein. As will be described herein, thedevice module111 is configured to allow a user to interact with a virtual world environment and an augmented reality environment.

In some configurations, auser device102 can include a hardware display surface118 (also referred to herein as an “interface118”) configured to display renderings and provide other views described herein. Thehardware display surface118 can include one or more components, such as a projector, a flat or curved screen, or other suitable components for producing a view of an object and/or data to the user101. In some configurations, thehardware display surface118 may be configured to cover at least one eye of a user101. In one illustrative example, thehardware display surface118 can be configured to cover both eyes of a user101. Thehardware display surface118 can render one or more images for generating a monocular or binocular view or a stereoscopic display of one or more objects.

Thehardware display surface118 may be configured to allow a user101 to view objects from different environments. In some configurations, thehardware display surface118 can display a rendering of an object. In addition, some configurations of thehardware display surface118 can allow a user101 to see through selectable sections of thehardware display surface118 having a controllable level of transparency, enabling the user101 to view objects in his or her surrounding environment. For illustrative purposes, a user's perspective looking at objects through thehardware display surface118 is referred to herein as a “real-world view” of an object or a “real-world view of a physical object.”

Thehardware display surface118 is described herein as having a “field of view” or a “field of vision,” which can be the extent of an observable area that is viewed through thehardware display surface118 at any given moment. In the examples described herein, when an object is observed through thehardware display surface118, the direction of the field of view, e.g., a gaze direction, is directed toward the object. For illustrative purposes, gaze direction data defining the direction of the field of view of thehardware display surface118, and thus the field of view of theuser device102, can be generated by one or more devices, including a compass, a GPS component, a camera and/or a combination of suitable components for generating direction and position data. The analysis of image data of objects having a known position can also be used to generate gaze direction data.

As will be described in more detail below, computer generated renderings of objects and/or data can be displayed in, around, or near the transparent sections of thehardware display surface118 enabling a user to view the computer generated renderings along with a real-world view of objects observed through the selected portions of thehardware display surface118.

Some configurations described herein provide both a “see through display” and an “augmented reality display.” For illustrative purposes, the “see through display” may include a transparent lens that can have content displayed on it. The “augmented reality display” may include an opaque display that is configured to display content over a rendering of an image, which may be from any source, such as a video feed from a camera used to capture images of an environment around theuser device102. For illustrative purposes, some examples disclosed herein describe a display of rendered content over a display of an image. In addition, some examples disclosed herein describe techniques that display rendered content over a “see through display” enabling a user to see a real-world view of an object with the content. It can be appreciated that the examples of the techniques described herein can apply to a “see through display,” an “augmented reality display,” or variations and combinations thereof. For illustrative purposes, devices configured to enable a “see through display,” “augmented reality display,” or combinations thereof are referred to herein as devices that are capable of providing a “mixed environment” display.

Auser device102 can include aninput device119, such as a keyboard, mouse, microphone, camera, depth map camera, touch sensor, or any other device configured to enable the generation of data characterizing interactions with thedevice103. As shown inFIG. 2, aninput device119, such as a microphone and/or camera, can be positioned on the front of theuser device102.

Theuser device102 can also include one ormore sensors120, such as a gyroscope, sonar sensor, infrared sensor, compass, accelerometer, and/or any other device or component for detecting a position or movement of thedevice103 and other objects. Thesensors120 can also enable the generation of data characterizing interactions, such as user gestures, with thedevice103. For illustrative purposes, the one ormore sensors120 and/or aninput device119 can enable the generation ofinput data113 defining a position and aspects of movement, e.g., speed, direction, acceleration, of one or more objects, which can includedevices103, physical items near adevice103, and/or users101. In other examples, thesensors120 and/orinput device119 can enable the generation ofinput data113 defining the presence of, and/or characteristics of, an object. For instance, such components can generate data defining a characteristic such as a color, size, shape, or other physical features of an object.

Configurations can enable theuser device102 to capture and interpret hand gestures performed by the user101 and to generate image data of the field of view described above. Data defining a characteristic can also include the location of an object. A number of components, such as a GPS device, a network device, and/or one or more sensors disclosed herein can be used to generate data defining a location of an object.

In one illustrative example, thesensors120 and/orinput device119 can enable the generation ofinput data113 identifying an object that a user101 is looking at, which is also referred to herein as a “gaze target.” In some configurations, a gaze target can be identified by the use ofsensors120 and/orinput devices119 enabling the generation of data defining a direction in which a user is looking, which is also referred to herein as a “gaze direction.” For example, asensor120, such as a camera or depth map sensor, mounted to theuser device102 can be directed towards a user's field of view. Image data generated from theinput device119 and/or thesensor120 can be analyzed to determine if an object in the field of view is in a pre-determined position or area of an image of the image data. If an object is positioned within a pre-determined area of at least one image, such as the center of the image, a device can determine that the object is a gaze target.

Data from many types ofinput devices119 and/orsensors120 can be utilized to identify a gaze target and a gaze direction. For instance, a compass, positioning tracking component (e.g., a GPS component), and/or an accelerometer may be used to generate data indicating a gaze direction and data indicating the location of a particular object. Using such data, the techniques disclosed herein can determine that the particular object is a gaze target. Other data, such as data indicating a speed and direction in which an object is moving can also be used to identify a gaze direction and/or a gaze target. For instance, if a user101 is observing a vehicle traveling at a particular velocity and direction, such data can be communicated to theuser device102 from the vehicle, and such data can be combined with other data using know techniques to determine that the vehicle is a gaze target.

In some configurations, one ormore sensors120 can be directed toward at least one eye of a user. Data indicating the direction and/or position of at least one eye can be used to identify a gaze direction and a gaze target. Such configurations can be used when a user is looking at a rendering of an object displayed on ahardware display surface118. In one illustrative example, if an HMD worn by a user has two distinct objects rendered on thehardware display surface118, the one ormore sensors120 directed toward at least one eye of a user can enable the generation of eye position data indicating if the user is looking at the first rendered object or the second rendered object. Eye position data can be combined with other data, such as gaze direction data to identify a gaze target, which can be based on a rendered object displayed on thehardware display surface118 or a real-world object observed through thehardware display surface118.

As summarized above, auser device102, such as an HMD, can enable the selection of an object104 controlled by acontroller device103 by capturing and analyzinginput data113 defining a performance of one or more gestures or other forms of input. For illustrative purposes, the selection of an object can also mean the selection of acontroller device103 associated with the object104, and the selection of acontroller device103 can also mean the selection of the object associated with the object. As will be described in more detail below, the selection of an object104 causes theuser device102 to obtain address information to communicate with one or more associatedcontroller devices103.

Once an object104 is selected, theuser device102 can take one or more actions. For example, theuser device102 can initiate communication with the remote computing device and/or cause the display of one or more graphical elements displaying content, such as commands configured to control thecontroller device103. In addition, theuser device102 can generate data defining an input command in response to a selection of the graphical elements. The data defining the input commands can be communicated to thecontroller device103 for execution. The execution of the commands can cause thecontroller device103 to control the object104, obtain a status from the object104, or cause other interactions with the object104. Status data associated with thecontroller device103 can be communicated to theuser device102 for display to a user101.FIG. 3A throughFIG. 3D provide an illustrative example showing such techniques, where auser device102, such as an HMD, is used to select and interact with twocontroller devices103 respectively associated with two different lamps.

FIG. 3A illustrates oneexample view300 that is from the perspective of theuser device102, e.g., an HMD, having the field of view directed toward thefirst lamp104C and thesecond lamp104E, which are collectively and generically referred to as “objects104.” In this example, theview300 includes a real-world view of the objects104 through thehardware display surface118 of theuser device102. Although thisexample view300 illustrates a configuration involving a real-world view of the objects104, by the use of image data generated by a camera directed toward the field of view, it can be appreciated that a rendering of the objects104 can be displayed on thehardware display surface118.

In the present example, the user101 can utilize theuser device102 to select one of the two objects104 by directing the field of view of theuser device102 toward the desired object104. Such an action can be performed, for example, when the user101 turns to look at an object of interest. In this example, the user101 first turns the field of view toward thefirst lamp104D. By the use of the techniques disclosed herein, thefirst lamp104D and/or an associated controller device, e.g., thefourth controller device103D, can be selected. Once an object, such as thefirst lamp104D, is selected, theuser device102 can take one or more actions. For example, theuser device102 can display a graphical element, generate an audio signal, and/or provide any other form of notification to confirm the selection of the object. In another example, in response to a selection of the object, thefourth controller device103D can cause the communication of control data defining one or more commands for controlling thefourth controller device103D and/or thefirst lamp104D to theuser device102. In such an example, the control data communicated from thefourth controller device103D can define instructions for controlling a component, e.g., diming the lamp, turning the lamp on or off, etc. In another example, in response to a selection of an object, theuser device102 can receive status data defining a status of one or more devices and/or components.

FIG. 3B shows oneexample view300′ that can be displayed to the user101 when thefirst lamp104D is selected. As shown, in response to the selection, theuser device102 can cause the display of one or more graphical elements along with the real-world view of thefirst lamp104D. In this example, a firstgraphical element303A indicates a status of thefirst lamp104D. Specifically, the firstgraphical element303A, by the use of rendered lines and a circle, indicates that thefirst lamp104D is turned on.

Also shown inFIG. 3B, a secondgraphical element303B comprises status data and selectable control elements for controlling thefourth controller device103D and thefirst lamp104D. In this example, the status data includes an identifier for thefirst lamp104D, e.g., “Lamp1: family room.” The status data also indicates a number of hours the lamp has been used. The secondgraphical element303B also includes a set ofselectable control elements305 for causing a display of other graphical elements, e.g., submenus (not shown), for displaying additional commands and/or other status data. In addition, based on the control data, the secondgraphical element303B can include one or moreselectable control elements306 for controlling thefirst lamp104D and/or thefourth controller device103D. Theuser device102 is configured to process a command upon the selection of one or moreselectable control elements306. In this example, the selectable control elements can be used to turn the lamp on or off and change the brightness of the lamp.

As shown inFIG. 3B, the secondgraphical element303B is configured to show an association between the contents of the secondgraphical element303B and the real-world view of thefirst lamp104D. In this example, the shape of the secondgraphical element303B is use to show one or more associations. Specifically, the shape of the secondgraphical element303B is shaped and positioned around thefirst lamp104D to show the various associations, e.g., between the contents of the graphical element and the object, between thegraphical element303B and the object. Thegraphical element303B can also show an association between the displayed content and thefourth controller device103, which may include a rendering of thefourth controller device103D or a real-world view of thefourth controller device103D. Although the shape of the graphical element is used to show an association between the contents of the graphical element and the object, it can be appreciated that any shape, color, line, or any other indicator, such as an audio signal, can be used to indicate an association between an object and displayed content.

As summarized above, during the display of one or more graphical elements, asensor120 orinput device119 of theuser device102 can be used to capture a gesture or another form of input to generateinput data113. Theuser device102 can process theinput data113, thecontrol data115, and/or other data to generate a command configured to execute computer-executable instructions at thecontroller device103.FIG. 3C shows one example where theuser device102 is used to capture a gesture performed by the user101 to enable the generation and communication of a command for controlling thefourth controller device103D and thefirst lamp104D.

FIG. 3C shows theexample view300′ of the real-world view of thefirst lamp104D with a user gesture interacting with the secondgraphical element303B. In the present example, thesensor120, e.g., a camera directed toward the field of view, of theuser device102 captures a gesture performed by the user101. As shown inFIG. 3C, the user101 is performing a gesture indicating a selection of a selectable control element configured to change the brightness of thefirst lamp104D. When such an input is detected, data defining a command can be communicated from theuser device102 to thefourth controller device103D and thefirst lamp104D.

In some configurations, theuser device102 can modify the display of the graphical elements related to thefirst lamp104D based on one or more actions. In one example, the graphical elements can be removed from theview300′ when the user101 looks away from thefirst lamp104D. Other user actions, such as a voice input, a gesture, or other type of input, can also cause the removal of the graphical elements. As will be describe in more detail below, other user actions cause theuser device102 to take other actions.

In the present example, the user101 interacts with thesecond lamp104E by looking at, e.g., directing the field of view of theuser device102 away from thefirst lamp104D and toward thesecond lamp104E. In response to the detection of such activity, the techniques disclosed herein can remove the display of the first and second first graphical elements (303A and303B), select thesecond lamp104E, and display other graphical elements related to thesecond lamp104E and thefifth controller device103E.

FIG. 3D shows anotherexample view300″ that can be displayed to the user101 when thesecond lamp104E is selected. In this illustrative example, a thirdgraphical element303C indicates a status of thesecond lamp104E. In this illustrative example, the thirdgraphical element303C indicates that thesecond lamp104E is turned off. Also shown, a fourthgraphical element303D comprises status data and commands for controlling thefifth controller device103E and thesecond lamp104E. The fourthgraphical element303D comprises the identifier, status data, and selectable control elements as described with respect toFIG. 3B.

The techniques disclosed herein also enable users to interact with multiple objects and/or devices at one time. For instance, in the above example involving the lamps, the user can control both lamps by the view shown inFIG. 3A. When Both lamps are within the viewing area, theuser device102 can select both lamps. In such configurations, one or more graphical elements can be displayed to control both lamps. Alternatively, or in addition to the display of the graphical elements, theuser device102 can generate a notification indicating a selection of both lamps. The notification can involve a generation of an audio signal, e.g., a generated voice indicating “both lamps are selected,” or another signal suitable for providing such a notification. Once the lamps are selected, theuser device102 can control both objects. For example, the user can provide a gesture or an input command, which may include a voice command, to control the lamps. For instance, the user may state, “turn all lights off” or “turn all lights on.” This example is provided for illustrative purposes and is not to be construed as limiting. Can be appreciated that configurations disclosed herein can be used to control any number of objects and/orremote controller devices103.

To further the above example, consider a scenario where a user is standing outside of a house. By looking in the direction of the house, a number of different type of objects are selected, e.g., a number of the lights, a number of appliances, one or more thermostats, etc. The user can then provide a gesture or other form of input to control select objects or categories of objects. For instance, the user can provide a voice command indicating they wish to “turn all lights off” or “turn all lights on.” In addition, the user can point in the direction of the thermostat while looking at the house and state “turn the heat up to 71 degrees.” One or more technologies for interpreting such inputs can be used to select and control different objects and different categories of objects by directing appropriate commands to theappropriate controller devices103.

FIG. 4A throughFIG. 4C illustrate another example where auser device102, in the form of an HMD, is used to interact with thegarage door opener104A. In this illustrative example, the field of view of theuser device102 is directed towards thegarage opener104A thereby creating a real-world view of thegarage opener104A through theinterface118 of theuser device102.FIG. 4A shows anexample view400 that can be displayed to the user101 in this scenario. As summarized above, theuser device102 can select thegarage door opener104A and/or an associated computing device, e.g., thefirst controller device103A, when such a scenario is detected by one or more techniques disclosed herein. Upon the selection of thegarage door opener104A, theuser device102 can take one or more actions, which can include the display of a graphical element comprising a selectable element configured to control thegarage door opener104A.

FIG. 4B shows oneexample view400 that can be displayed to the user101 when thegarage door opener104A and/or an associated device are selected. As shown, theuser device102 can cause the display of agraphical element402 along with the real-world view of thegarage opener104A. In this example, thegraphical element402 includes selectable control elements that enable theuser device102 to control thegarage door opener104A. As shown, one or more selectable control elements can be selected to initiate one or more actions that cause the garage door to open or close. In addition, the selection of a selectable control element can cause a software update for thegarage opener104A and/or thefirst controller device103A. Content, such as status data, can be included in thegraphical element402. The example status data shown inFIG. 4B indicates a maintenance due date as well as data defining recent user activity. In this example, the user activity identifies a user of thegarage door opener104A as well as a timestamp of when thegarage door opener104A was last operated.

As shown inFIG. 4B, thegraphical element402 is configured to show an association between thegraphical element402 and thegarage door opener104A. In this example, the outline of thegraphical element402 comprises lines that are directed toward thegarage opener104A. Although lines are used to show an association between the contents of thegraphical element402 and thegarage door opener104A, it can be appreciated that any shape, color, or any other indicator can be used to show the association between an object, such as thegarage door opener104A and other displayed content.

FIG. 3C shows theexample view400 of the real-world view of thegarage door opener104A with a user gesture interacting with thegraphical element402. In the present example, thesensor120 of theuser device102 captures a gesture performed by the user101. As shown inFIG. 3C, the user101 is performing a gesture indicating a selection of a selectable control element configured to open the garage door. When such an input is detected, data defining a command can be communicated from theuser device102 to acontroller device103 associated with thegarage door opener104A. Thecontroller device103 can then cause thegarage door opener104A to operate.

As summarized above, theuser device102 can interact with any computing device configured to interact with an object. User interface graphical elements can be displayed in proximity to a real-world view of any object that can be controlled by a network-connected computer. Graphical elements similar to those described above can be utilized to control, and interact with, various objects including the appliances shown inFIG. 1. For example, graphical elements can be rendered in association to therange104B and therefrigerator104C in a manner as described herein.

In yet other examples, the techniques disclosed herein can be used to control and communicate with controller devices that may be embedded in other objects, such as a vehicle. An example of such an application is shown inFIG. 5A throughFIG. 5C.

FIG. 5A shows anexample view500 that can be displayed to the user101 when he or she approaches avehicle501.FIG. 5B shows theexample view500 of two graphical elements that can be displayed to the user101 when thevehicle501 and/or an associated computing device is selected by using the techniques described herein.FIG. 5C shows theexample view500 that can be provided to the user101 when the user101 performs a gesture causing theuser device102 to communicate commands to the computing device associated with thevehicle501.

As shown inFIG. 5B, a firstgraphical element502A can be displayed on theinterface118 with a real-world view of thevehicle501. Also shown, the firstgraphical element502A is configured to illustrate an association, e.g., an attachment, between the displayed status data and a component of thevehicle501. In this particular example, the displayed status data describes aspects of one of the tires, and thegraphical element502A is configured to indicate the attachment between the displayed status data and one of the tires.

Also shown inFIG. 5B, a secondgraphical element502B having selectable control elements, e.g., buttons for opening and closing the windows, and a button for locking the doors, can be displayed along with a real-world view of thevehicle501. In this example, the selectable control elements of the secondgraphical element502B relate to various components of thevehicle501, e.g., the windows and doors.

FIG. 5C illustrates one example where the secondgraphical element502B is configured, e.g., by the use of an arrow, to indicate an association between a component, e.g., a window, of thevehicle501 and one or more selectable control elements. The graphical element can be static or dynamic in indicating one or more associations. For example, the arrow can be displayed continuously, or the arrow can be displayed in response to one or more actions. The example shown inFIG. 5B andFIG. 5C show how an association between an object (or a component of an object) and content can be displayed in response to a selection, e.g., a user selection, of the one or more selectable control elements. In such an example, the secondgraphical element502B can be configured as shown inFIG. 5B, then transition to the configuration as shown inFIG. 5C in response to one or more actions, such as a user action.

As shown inFIG. 5B andFIG. 5C, the secondgraphical element502B can have one state where the secondgraphical element502B does not indicate an attachment, and then upon the selection of one or more selectable control elements, the secondgraphical element502B can have a second state where the secondgraphical element502B indicates the attachment between the control element and a component of an object. In the present example, the secondgraphical element502B indicates an association with the window by the use of an arrow. This example is provided for illustrative purposes and is not to be construed as limiting. It can be appreciated that any shape, color, or any other indicator a be used to show an attachment between a selectable control element and an object or a component of the object.

In some configurations, the techniques disclosed herein may also generate a graphical element to show an association between an object and acontroller device103 associated with the object. In some scenarios, acontroller device103 associated with an object may not be visible upon a visual inspection of the object. In such circumstances, the techniques disclosed herein can generate one or more graphical elements representing acontroller device103. Examples of such renderings are shown inFIG. 1. For example, if thefourth controller device103D is embedded inside thefirst lamp104D, a graphical element representing thefourth controller device103D can be generated in proximity to a real-world view of thefirst lamp104D. In addition, the graphical representation may have one or more lines or shapes to show an association between an object and acontroller device103 associated with the object. In the example shown inFIG. 1, a circle in several lines may be used to show an association between a rendering of acontroller device103 and the object.

By the use of the graphical renderings described above, techniques disclosed herein enable a user of a device to control multiple objects that may not be in a direct view with respect to theuser device102. For instance, with respect to the garage door scenario, if a user is looking towards the garage door from the outside and the garage door is closed, techniques disclosed herein may render an image representing the garage door opener. In another example, if a user is looking towards a room with multiple light switches, theuser device102 can display renderings of each switch or enable a real-world view of each switch. Theuser device102 can then control each switch by an input caused by the user. In one illustrative example, the user may provide universal input command, such as a gesture or a voice command “turn all the lights on” or “turn all the lights off” to controlmultiple controller devices103.

In some configurations, the techniques disclosed herein enable a device to provide multiple interfaces, e.g., graphical elements, holograms, etc., in different locations that are attached to one or more objects. For example, in a scenario where a user is looking towards a room with a three-way light switch, a device can render a graphical element for each switch or one graphical element for both switches. Such configurations can enable a user to control one object, e.g., one light, from two switches. In yet another example scenario, when a user is looking at a house through an interface of auser device102, theuser device102 can display a virtual thermostat in every room. Each virtual thermostat can be configured to display status data and/or one or more selectable graphical elements for controlling each thermostat. Theuser device102 can be configured to interpret various forms of input, including a voice input, to direct commands to an individual thermostat, groups of thermostats, and/or all of the thermostats. Thus, in such an example scenario, when a user is viewing multiple virtual thermostats individually attached to rooms of a house, the user can initiate an input command directed to one thermostat, e.g., the user could state “turn down the temperature in the attic by 5 degrees.”

Turning now toFIG. 6, aspects of a routine600 for providing a mixed environment display of attached control elements are shown and described below. It should be understood that the operations of the methods disclosed herein are not necessarily presented in any particular order and that performance of some or all of the operations in an alternative order(s) is possible and is contemplated. The operations have been presented in the demonstrated order for ease of description and illustration. Operations may be added, omitted, and/or performed simultaneously, without departing from the scope of the appended claims.

It also should be understood that the illustrated methods can end at any time and need not be performed in its entirety. Some or all operations of the methods, and/or substantially equivalent operations, can be performed by execution of computer-readable instructions included on a computer-storage media, as defined below. The term “computer-readable instructions,” and variants thereof, as used in the description and claims, is used expansively herein to include routines, applications, application modules, program modules, programs, components, data structures, algorithms, and the like. Computer-readable instructions can be implemented on various system configurations, including single-processor or multiprocessor systems, minicomputers, mainframe computers, personal computers, hand-held computing devices, microprocessor-based, programmable consumer electronics, combinations thereof, and the like.

Thus, it should be appreciated that the logical operations described herein are implemented (1) as a sequence of computer implemented acts or program modules running on a computing system and/or (2) as interconnected machine logic circuits or circuit modules within the computing system. The implementation is a matter of choice dependent on the performance and other requirements of the computing system. Accordingly, the logical operations described herein are referred to variously as states, operations, structural devices, acts, or modules. These operations, structural devices, acts, and modules may be implemented in software, in firmware, in special purpose digital logic, and any combination thereof.

For example, the operations of the routine600 are described herein as being implemented, at least in part, by an application, component and/or circuit, such as thedevice module111 and/or the server module107. In some configurations, thedevice module111 and/or the server module107 can be a dynamically linked library (DLL), a statically linked library, functionality enabled by an application programing interface (API), a compiled program, an interpreted program, a script or any other executable set of instructions. Data, such as theinput data113, received by thedevice module111 and/or the server module107 can be stored in a data structure in one or more memory components. The data can be retrieved from the data structure by addressing links or references to the data structure.

Although the following illustration refers to the components ofFIG. 1 andFIG. 2, it can be appreciated that the operations of the routine600 may be also implemented in many other ways. For example, the routine600 may be implemented, at least in part, by a processor of another remote computer or a local circuit. In addition, one or more of the operations of the routine600 may alternatively or additionally be implemented, at least in part, by a chipset working alone or in conjunction with other software modules. Any service, circuit or application suitable for providing input data indicating the position or state of any device may be used in operations described herein.

With reference toFIG. 6, the routine600 begins atoperation601, where thedevice module111 receives identification data of one or more remote devices. Generally described, the identification data can include data that relates aspects of an object with aspects of acontroller device103. For example, the identification data can include an address for acontroller device103, such as an IP address, MAC address, or any other network-based identifier. The address for thecontroller device103 can be associated with one or more characteristics of thecontroller device103 and/or an object controlled by thecontroller device103. For instance, identification data can define characteristics of an object, such as thefirst lamp104D. The identification data can define characteristics colors, shapes, anomalies, imperfections, or any other identifier for a physical object. The characteristics can then be associated with an address of an associated device, such as thefourth controller device104D.

In some configurations, the identification data can associate an address for aparticular controller device103 with location data. The location data may define a location for theparticular controller device103 and/or an object controlled by theparticular controller device103. As will be described below, the techniques disclosed herein may utilize such information to find an address for a particular controller device if theuser device102 detects that the particular controller device is within a predetermined distance.

The identification data may be configured manually, or provided by a service or a remote resource. In some configurations, the identification data may be generated by a device, such as theuser device102. To generate such data, theuser device102 may enter an initialization mode. While in the initialization mode, a user may approach a particular object and/or look at a particular object, and provide an input to instructing the device to record data defining one or more characteristics related to the object in a data structure for future access. For example, with reference toFIG. 5A, a user101 may be looking at avehicle501 through aninterface118 of theuser device102. While the user101 is looking at thevehicle501, the user may provide a voice command, a hand gesture, or other form of input to instruct the storage of the identification data, which can include location data, image data, and/or metadata defining one or more characteristics related to an object. In addition, the user101 or a device can provide and store an address for the computing device associated with the object, e.g., thevehicle501.

While in the initialization mode, in some configurations, asensor120 of theuser device102 can obtain an image of the object, such as thevehicle501. The image data may be processed to obtain one or more characteristics of the object. The image data, location data of the object, data describing one or more characteristics of the object, and/or other identifying information can be associated with the address of associatedcontroller device103 and stored in a data structure in memory for future access. These examples are provided for illustrative purposes and are not to be construed as limiting. It can be appreciated that the identification data can be generated by other computers, and may include other types of data indicating an address and data identifying an object or an associated controller device.

Once the identification data is received or generated, theuser device102 can enter a regular operation mode where theuser device102 is utilized to select one or more objects and interact with the object using an associatedcomputing device103. The following process blocks illustrate aspects where auser device102 selects an object, initiates the communication of status data, control data, and/or command data to control one or more aspects of a selected object and an associatedcontroller device103.

Returning toFIG. 6, atoperation603, thedevice module111 can select an object controlled by acontroller device103. As summarized above, an object can be selected by the use of any number of techniques. For example, an object can be selected by an analysis ofinput data113 defining any suitable user activity, such as a user's gestures, voice commands, gaze direction, or any other type of input. In other examples, an object can be selected by an analysis ofinput data113 received from one or more systems, such as a social network, email system, phone system, instant message system, or any other suitable application or platform.

In one illustrative example,input data113 identifying a gaze target and/or a gaze direction can be analyzed to identify and select an object and/or acontroller device103 associated with the selected object. For example,input data113 received from one or more devices, such as auser device102, can indicate that a user101 is looking at a particular object. Such activity can be determined by the use of image data that is captured by asensor120 directed toward the field of view of the device. By the use of one or more image processing technologies, one or more characteristics, e.g., the size, shape, location, or any aspect of the object can be identified and stored in a data structure. Data defining the identified characteristics can be analyzed and compared to the identification data described above to determine select an object and obtain an address of an associatedcontroller device103.

With reference to the example shown inFIG. 3B, during operation of theuser device102,input data113 generated by aninput device119 and/or asensor120 can indicate that a user is looking at thefirst lamp104D having a set of characteristics. In this example, it is a given that theuser device102 stores identification data defining a set of characteristics of thefirst lamp104D. If the set of characteristics of the identification data has a threshold amount of similarities to the set of characteristics of theinput data113, theuser device102 can select thefirst lamp104D. By the use of the identification data, an address for acontroller device103 associated with the selected object may be obtained.

Location data can also be utilized to select an object. For instance, the techniques disclosed herein may select a particular object if theuser device102 is within a predetermined distance of that particular object. Such techniques may be combined with data defining the gaze direction. Thus, the techniques disclosed herein may select a particular object if theuser device102 is within a predetermined distance of that particular object, and if the field of view of theuser device102 is directed towards the object.

In the process of selecting a particular object, theinput data113 can include contextual data from one or more remote resources. For example, if a user performs a number of searches on a search engine, provides comments on a social network, and/or causes communication about a particular object, such as a vehicle or appliance, such data can be used to identify and select a particular object. Such examples are provided for illustrative purposes and is not to be construed as limiting. It can be appreciated thatinput data113 can be retrieved from any service or resource, such as a personal storage resource, such as one provided by a local or remote storage service. In one illustrative example, if a user points at a particular object or expresses one or more gestures indicating an interest in an object, data characterizing such user activity can be analyzed to identify and select a particular object. In yet another example, if a user is communicating through a device, e.g., a phone or IM system, the communication data can be analyzed to identify and select a particular object.

In addition, combinations of different types ofinput data113 can be used to identify and select a particular object. For instance, communication data and data identifying a gaze target can be used to identify and select a particular object. Known technologies for analyzing voice, text, images, or other data can be used for deriving keywords or other data that identify an object. These examples are provided for illustrative purposes and are not to be construed as limiting. It can be appreciated that any type ofsuitable input data113 can be used to identify and select a particular object and/or an associatedcontroller device103. Once an object is selected, address information for a computer associated with the selected object can be obtained from one or more resources, including the obtained identification data.

Next, atoperation605, thedevice module111 can receivecontrol data115 andstatus data114 related to the selected object. As summarized above,control data115 can define code, commands or instructions that can be executed by acontroller device103 associated with the selected object. For example, thecontrol data115 may include commands, code, object code, scripts, a compiled program, an interpreted program, or any other executable set of instructions that can be executed and/or interpreted by acontroller device103 associated with the selected object. Thecontrol data115 can also define communication interfaces, such as an Application Programming Interface (API), for acontroller device103 associated with the selected object.

Thestatus data114 can include any information related to the selected object or and/or acontroller device103 associated with the selected object. For instance, if the object is a vehicle, the status data can define the state of the engine, tires or any other component of the vehicle. Thecontrol data115 and thestatus data114 can be stored in a data structure in memory or any computer readable storage medium for access at a later time. Thecontrol data115 can be received from a service, thecontroller device103, and/or another resource. Thecontrol data115 can be provided to thedevice module111 or another component of theuser device102 by an initialization process or in response to a request during use of theuser device102.

Next, atoperation607, thedevice module111 can cause the display of one or more graphical elements containing content, such as status data and/or one or more selectable control elements. For example, as described above and shown in at least inFIGS. 3B, 4B, and 5B, auser device102 can cause the display of status data and/or one or more selectable control elements onhardware display surface118, e.g., an interface, along with a view of the selected object. The view of the selected object can include a rendering of the object or a real-world view of the object viewed through thehardware display surface118.

In some configurations, the configuration of the selectable control elements can be based, at least in part, on thecontrol data115 obtained inoperation605. The selectable control elements are configured to enable the generation of a command, also referred to herein as an “input command,” which can be communicated to acontroller device103 associated with the selected object. The communication of a particular command can be in response to a selection of a selectable control element associated with the particular command.

As summarized above, graphical elements are configured to show an association between an object and the contents of the graphical elements. For example, a graphical element can be configured to show an association between a view of an object and a display of status data associated with the object. In another example, a graphical element can be configured to show an association between a view of an object and the display of a selectable control element. For illustrative purposes, when an association is made between an object and displayed content, the view of the object is referred to herein as “attached” to display of the displayed content.

As summarize above, the size, shape, color, or any other characteristic of a graphical element or content can be used to show an association between an object displayed content. For example, as shown inFIG. 3B, the shape of a graphical element is used to show an association between a real-world view of an object, the lamp, and display of the contents of the graphical element. In the example shown inFIG. 4B, lines directed from the graphical element are used to show an association between a real-world view of an object, the garage door opener, and the display of the contents of the graphical element. As shown inFIG. 5B andFIG. 5C, arrows are used to show an association between components of an object and the display of the contents of the graphical element.

Operation607 can also involve one or more actions caused in response to the selection of an object. For instance, communication between two or more devices can be initiated in response to the selection of an object. A notification, which can be an audio signal, a mechanical action, an electrical action, or any suitable graphical display can be caused in response to the selection of an object.

Next, atoperation609, thedevice module111 can receive a selection of a control element. For example, as described above and shown in at least inFIGS. 3C, 4C, and 5C, auser device102 can receive an input from a user101 indicating the selection of a selectable control element. Asensor120, which can be a camera, and/or one ormore input devices119, such as a microphone or keypad, can cause the generation ofinput data113, which can define any suitable form of user activity, such as a user's gestures, voice commands, gaze direction, etc. Theinput data113 can be interpreted by auser device102 or another device to cause one or more actions, such as the communication of a command associated with the selected control element(s).

Atoperation611, thedevice module111 communicates one or more commands to thecontroller device103 associated with the selected object. Inoperation611, the communication of the command can be in response to the selection of at least one selectable control element. The command can be in any suitable format and the command can be communicated using any suitable protocol. In one example, the command can be communicated to an API of thecontroller device103. In other examples, the command can be communicated to thecontroller device103 using a Web-based protocol or a message-based protocol.

Next, atoperation613, thecontroller device103 can execute the command. In the execution of the command, thecontroller device103 can cause the selected object to perform one or more actions, change one or more states, and/or communicate data. As shown in the examples above, thecontroller device103 can cause a lamp to turn on or off, cause a garage door opener to open or close a door, etc. In addition, the input command can thecontroller device103 to perform one or more actions, such as communicate status data and/or update software, etc.

FIG. 7 shows additional details of anexample computer architecture700 for a computer, such as thecomputing devices103 shown inFIG. 1 andFIG. 2, capable of executing the program components described above for providing a mixed environment display of attached control elements. Thus, thecomputer architecture700 illustrated inFIG. 7 illustrates an architecture for a server computer, mobile phone, an HMD, a PDA, a smart phone, a desktop computer, a netbook computer, a tablet computer, and/or a laptop computer. Thecomputer architecture700 may be utilized to execute any aspects of the software components presented herein.

Thecomputer architecture700 illustrated inFIG. 7 includes a central processing unit702 (“CPU”), asystem memory704, including a random access memory706 (“RAM”) and a read-only memory (“ROM”)708, and asystem bus710 that couples thememory704 to theCPU702. A basic input/output system containing the basic routines that help to transfer information between elements within thecomputer architecture700, such as during startup, is stored in theROM708. Thecomputer architecture700 further includes a mass storage device77 for storing anoperating system707, and one or more application programs including, but not limited to, inputdata113,identification data732, andsensor data733.

Themass storage device712 is connected to theCPU702 through a mass storage controller (not shown) connected to thebus710. Themass storage device712 and its associated computer-readable media provide non-volatile storage for thecomputer architecture700. Although the description of computer-readable media contained herein refers to a mass storage device, such as a solid state drive, a hard disk or CD-ROM drive, it should be appreciated by those skilled in the art that computer-readable media can be any available computer storage media or communication media that can be accessed by thecomputer architecture700.

Communication media includes computer readable instructions, data structures, program modules, or other data in a modulated data signal such as a carrier wave or other transport mechanism and includes any delivery media. The term “modulated data signal” means a signal that has one or more of its characteristics changed or set in a manner as to encode information in the signal. By way of example, and not limitation, communication media includes wired media such as a wired network or direct-wired connection, and wireless media such as acoustic, RF, infrared and other wireless media. Combinations of the any of the above should also be included within the scope of computer-readable media.

By way of example, and not limitation, the computer storage media may include volatile and non-volatile, removable and non-removable media implemented in any method or technology for storage of information such as computer-readable instructions, data structures, program modules or other data. For example, computer media includes, but is not limited to, RAM, ROM, EPROM, EEPROM, flash memory or other solid state memory technology, CD-ROM, digital versatile disks (“DVD”), HD-DVD, BLU-RAY, or other optical storage, magnetic cassettes, magnetic tape, magnetic disk storage or other magnetic storage devices, or any other medium which can be used to store the desired information and which can be accessed by thecomputer architecture700. For purposes the claims, the phrase “computer storage medium,” “computer-readable storage medium” and variations thereof, does not include waves, signals, and/or other transitory and/or intangible communication media, per se.

According to various configurations, thecomputer architecture700 may operate in a networked environment using logical connections to remote computers through thenetwork150 and/or another network (not shown). Thecomputer architecture700 may connect to thenetwork150 through anetwork interface unit714 connected to thebus710. It should be appreciated that thenetwork interface unit714 also may be utilized to connect to other types of networks and remote computer systems. Thecomputer architecture700 also may include an input/output controller716 for receiving and processing input from a number of other devices, including a keyboard, mouse, or electronic stylus (not shown inFIG. 7). Similarly, the input/output controller716 may provide output to a display screen, a printer, or other type of output device (also not shown inFIG. 7).

It should be appreciated that the software components described herein may, when loaded into theCPU702 and executed, transform theCPU702 and theoverall computer architecture700 from a general-purpose computing system into a special-purpose computing system customized to facilitate the functionality presented herein. TheCPU702 may be constructed from any number of transistors or other discrete circuit elements, which may individually or collectively assume any number of states. More specifically, theCPU702 may operate as a finite-state machine, in response to executable instructions contained within the software modules disclosed herein. These computer-executable instructions may transform theCPU702 by specifying how theCPU702 transitions between states, thereby transforming the transistors or other discrete hardware elements constituting theCPU702.

Encoding the software modules presented herein also may transform the physical structure of the computer-readable media presented herein. The specific transformation of physical structure may depend on various factors, in different implementations of this description. Examples of such factors may include, but are not limited to, the technology used to implement the computer-readable media, whether the computer-readable media is characterized as primary or secondary storage, and the like. For example, if the computer-readable media is implemented as semiconductor-based memory, the software disclosed herein may be encoded on the computer-readable media by transforming the physical state of the semiconductor memory. For example, the software may transform the state of transistors, capacitors, or other discrete circuit elements constituting the semiconductor memory. The software also may transform the physical state of such components in order to store data thereupon.

As another example, the computer-readable media disclosed herein may be implemented using magnetic or optical technology. In such implementations, the software presented herein may transform the physical state of magnetic or optical media, when the software is encoded therein. These transformations may include altering the magnetic characteristics of particular locations within given magnetic media. These transformations also may include altering the physical features or characteristics of particular locations within given optical media, to change the optical characteristics of those locations. Other transformations of physical media are possible without departing from the scope and spirit of the present description, with the foregoing examples provided only to facilitate this discussion.

In light of the above, it should be appreciated that many types of physical transformations take place in thecomputer architecture700 in order to store and execute the software components presented herein. It also should be appreciated that thecomputer architecture700 may include other types of computing devices, including hand-held computers, embedded computer systems, personal digital assistants, and other types of computing devices known to those skilled in the art. It is also contemplated that thecomputer architecture700 may not include all of the components shown inFIG. 7, may include other components that are not explicitly shown inFIG. 7, or may utilize an architecture completely different than that shown inFIG. 7.

FIG. 8 depicts an illustrative distributedcomputing environment800 capable of executing the software components described herein for providing a mixed environment display of attached control elements, among other aspects. Thus, the distributedcomputing environment800 illustrated inFIG. 8 can be utilized to execute any aspects of the software components presented herein. For example, the distributedcomputing environment800 can be utilized to execute aspects of the techniques disclosed herein.

According to various implementations, the distributedcomputing environment800 includes acomputing environment802 operating on, in communication with, or as part of thenetwork804. Thenetwork804 may be or may include thenetwork150 described herein with reference toFIG. 1 and thenetwork956 described herein with reference toFIG. 9. Thenetwork804 also can include various access networks. One ormore client devices806A-806N (hereinafter referred to collectively and/or generically as “clients806”) can communicate with thecomputing environment802 via thenetwork804 and/or other connections (not illustrated inFIG. 8). In one illustrated configuration, the clients806 include acomputing device806A such as an HMD, a laptop computer, a desktop computer, or other computing device; a slate or tablet computing device (“tablet computing device”)806B; amobile computing device806C such as a mobile telephone, a smart phone, or other mobile computing device; aserver computer806D; and/orother devices806N. It should be understood that any number of clients806 can communicate with thecomputing environment802. It should be understood that the illustrated clients806 and computing architectures illustrated and described herein are illustrative, and should not be construed as being limited in any way.

In the illustrated configuration, thecomputing environment802 includesapplication servers808,data storage810, and one or more network interfaces812. According to various implementations, the functionality of theapplication servers808 can be provided by one or more server computers that are executing as part of, or in communication with, thenetwork804. Theapplication servers808 can host various services, virtual machines, portals, and/or other resources. In the illustrated configuration, theapplication servers808 host one or morevirtual machines814 for hosting applications or other functionality. According to various implementations, thevirtual machines814 host one or more applications and/or software modules for providing a mixed environment display of attached control elements. It should be understood that this configuration is illustrative, and should not be construed as being limiting in any way. Theapplication servers808 also host or provide access to one or more portals, link pages, Websites, and/or other information (“Web portals”)816.

According to various implementations, theapplication servers808 also include one ormore mailbox services818 and one ormore messaging services820. The mailbox services818 can include electronic mail (“email”) services. The mailbox services818 also can include various personal information management (“PIM”) services including, but not limited to, calendar services, contact management services, collaboration services, and/or other services. Themessaging services820 can include, but are not limited to, instant messaging services, chat services, forum services, and/or other communication services.

Theapplication servers808 also may include one or more social networking services822. Thesocial networking services822 can include various social networking services including, but not limited to, services for sharing or posting status updates, instant messages, links, photos, videos, and/or other information; services for commenting or displaying interest in articles, products, blogs, or other resources; and/or other services. In some configurations, thesocial networking services822 are provided by or include the FACEBOOK social networking service, the LINKEDIN professional networking service, the MYSPACE social networking service, the FOURSQUARE geographic networking service, the YAMMER office colleague networking service, and the like. In other configurations, thesocial networking services822 are provided by other services, sites, and/or providers that may or may not be explicitly known as social networking providers. For example, some Websites allow users to interact with one another via email, chat services, and/or other means during various activities and/or contexts such as reading published articles, commenting on goods or services, publishing, collaboration, gaming, and the like. Examples of such services include, but are not limited to, the WINDOWS LIVE service and the XBOX LIVE service from Microsoft Corporation in Redmond, Wash. Other services are possible and are contemplated.

Thesocial networking services822 also can include commenting, blogging, and/or micro blogging services. Examples of such services include, but are not limited to, the YELP commenting service, the KUDZU review service, the OFFICETALK enterprise micro blogging service, the TWITTER messaging service, the GOOGLE BUZZ service, and/or other services. It should be appreciated that the above lists of services are not exhaustive and that numerous additional and/or alternativesocial networking services822 are not mentioned herein for the sake of brevity. As such, the above configurations are illustrative, and should not be construed as being limited in any way. According to various implementations, thesocial networking services822 may host one or more applications and/or software modules for providing the functionality described herein for providing a mixed environment display of attached control elements. For instance, any one of theapplication servers808 may communicate or facilitate the functionality and features described herein. For instance, a social networking application, mail client, messaging client, a browser running on a phone or any other client806 may communicate with anetworking service822 and facilitate the functionality, even in part, described above with respect toFIG. 6.

As shown inFIG. 8, theapplication servers808 also can host other services, applications, portals, and/or other resources (“other resources”)824. Theother resources824 can include, but are not limited to, document sharing, rendering or any other functionality. It thus can be appreciated that thecomputing environment802 can provide integration of the concepts and technologies disclosed herein provided herein with various mailbox, messaging, social networking, and/or other services or resources.

As mentioned above, thecomputing environment802 can include thedata storage810. According to various implementations, the functionality of thedata storage810 is provided by one or more databases operating on, or in communication with, thenetwork804. The functionality of thedata storage810 also can be provided by one or more server computers configured to host data for thecomputing environment802. Thedata storage810 can include, host, or provide one or more real orvirtual data stores826A-826N (hereinafter referred to collectively and/or generically as “data stores826”). The data stores826 are configured to host data used or created by theapplication servers808 and/or other data. Although not illustrated inFIG. 8, the data stores826 also can host or store web page documents, word processer documents, presentation documents, data structures, algorithms for execution by a recommendation engine, and/or other data utilized by any application program or another module, such as the content manager105. Aspects of the data stores826 may be associated with a service for storing files.

Thecomputing environment802 can communicate with, or be accessed by, the network interfaces812. The network interfaces812 can include various types of network hardware and software for supporting communications between two or more computing devices including, but not limited to, the clients806 and theapplication servers808. It should be appreciated that the network interfaces812 also may be utilized to connect to other types of networks and/or computer systems.

It should be understood that the distributedcomputing environment800 described herein can provide any aspects of the software elements described herein with any number of virtual computing resources and/or other distributed computing functionality that can be configured to execute any aspects of the software components disclosed herein. According to various implementations of the concepts and technologies disclosed herein, the distributedcomputing environment800 provides the software functionality described herein as a service to the clients806. It should be understood that the clients806 can include real or virtual machines including, but not limited to, server computers, web servers, personal computers, mobile computing devices, smart phones, and/or other devices. As such, various configurations of the concepts and technologies disclosed herein enable any device configured to access the distributedcomputing environment800 to utilize the functionality described herein for providing a mixed environment display of attached control elements, among other aspects. In one specific example, as summarized above, techniques described herein may be implemented, at least in part, by theoperating system707 ofFIG. 7, which works in conjunction with theapplication servers808 ofFIG. 8.

Turning now toFIG. 9, an illustrativecomputing device architecture900 for a computing device that is capable of executing various software components described herein for providing a mixed environment display of attached control elements. Thecomputing device architecture900 is applicable to computing devices that facilitate mobile computing due, in part, to form factor, wireless connectivity, and/or battery-powered operation. In some configurations, the computing devices include, but are not limited to, mobile telephones, tablet devices, slate devices, portable video game devices, and the like. Thecomputing device architecture900 is applicable to any of the clients806 shown inFIG. 8. Moreover, aspects of thecomputing device architecture900 may be applicable to traditional desktop computers, portable computers (e.g., laptops, notebooks, ultra-portables, and netbooks), server computers, and other computer systems, such as those described herein. For example, the single touch and multi-touch aspects disclosed herein below may be applied to desktop computers that utilize a touchscreen or some other touch-enabled device, such as a touch-enabled track pad or touch-enabled mouse.

Thecomputing device architecture900 illustrated inFIG. 9 includes aprocessor902,memory components904,network connectivity components906,sensor components908, input/output components912, andpower components912. In the illustrated configuration, theprocessor902 is in communication with thememory components904, thenetwork connectivity components906, thesensor components908, the input/output (“I/O”)components910, and thepower components912. Although no connections are shown between the individuals components illustrated inFIG. 9, the components can interact to carry out device functions. In some configurations, the components are arranged so as to communicate via one or more busses (not shown).

Theprocessor902 includes a central processing unit (“CPU”) configured to process data, execute computer-executable instructions of one or more application programs, and communicate with other components of thecomputing device architecture900 in order to perform various functionality described herein. Theprocessor902 may be utilized to execute aspects of the software components presented herein and, particularly, those that utilize, at least in part, a touch-enabled input.

In some configurations, theprocessor902 includes a graphics processing unit (“GPU”) configured to accelerate operations performed by the CPU, including, but not limited to, operations performed by executing general-purpose scientific and/or engineering computing applications, as well as graphics-intensive computing applications such as high resolution video (e.g., 720P, 1030P, and higher resolution), video games, three-dimensional (“3D”) modeling applications, and the like. In some configurations, theprocessor902 is configured to communicate with a discrete GPU (not shown). In any case, the CPU and GPU may be configured in accordance with a co-processing CPU/GPU computing model, wherein the sequential part of an application executes on the CPU and the computationally-intensive part is accelerated by the GPU.

In some configurations, theprocessor902 is, or is included in, a system-on-chip (“SoC”) along with one or more of the other components described herein below. For example, the SoC may include theprocessor902, a GPU, one or more of thenetwork connectivity components906, and one or more of thesensor components908. In some configurations, theprocessor902 is fabricated, in part, utilizing a package-on-package (“PoP”) integrated circuit packaging technique. Theprocessor902 may be a single core or multi-core processor.

Theprocessor902 may be created in accordance with an ARM architecture, available for license from ARM HOLDINGS of Cambridge, United Kingdom. Alternatively, theprocessor902 may be created in accordance with an x86 architecture, such as is available from INTEL CORPORATION of Mountain View, Calif. and others. In some configurations, theprocessor902 is a SNAPDRAGON SoC, available from QUALCOMM of San Diego, Calif., a TEGRA SoC, available from NVIDIA of Santa Clara, Calif., a HUMMINGBIRD SoC, available from SAMSUNG of Seoul, South Korea, an Open Multimedia Application Platform (“OMAP”) SoC, available from TEXAS INSTRUMENTS of Dallas, Tex., a customized version of any of the above SoCs, or a proprietary SoC.

Thememory components904 include a random access memory (“RAM”)914, a read-only memory (“ROM”)916, an integrated storage memory (“integrated storage”)918, and a removable storage memory (“removable storage”)920. In some configurations, theRAM914 or a portion thereof, theROM916 or a portion thereof, and/or some combination theRAM914 and theROM916 is integrated in theprocessor902. In some configurations, theROM916 is configured to store a firmware, an operating system or a portion thereof (e.g., operating system kernel), and/or a bootloader to load an operating system kernel from theintegrated storage918 and/or theremovable storage920.

Theintegrated storage918 can include a solid-state memory, a hard disk, or a combination of solid-state memory and a hard disk. Theintegrated storage918 may be soldered or otherwise connected to a logic board upon which theprocessor902 and other components described herein also may be connected. As such, theintegrated storage918 is integrated in the computing device. Theintegrated storage918 is configured to store an operating system or portions thereof, application programs, data, and other software components described herein.

Theremovable storage920 can include a solid-state memory, a hard disk, or a combination of solid-state memory and a hard disk. In some configurations, theremovable storage920 is provided in lieu of theintegrated storage918. In other configurations, theremovable storage920 is provided as additional optional storage. In some configurations, theremovable storage920 is logically combined with theintegrated storage918 such that the total available storage is made available as a total combined storage capacity. In some configurations, the total combined capacity of theintegrated storage918 and theremovable storage920 is shown to a user instead of separate storage capacities for theintegrated storage918 and theremovable storage920.

Theremovable storage920 is configured to be inserted into a removable storage memory slot (not shown) or other mechanism by which theremovable storage920 is inserted and secured to facilitate a connection over which theremovable storage920 can communicate with other components of the computing device, such as theprocessor902. Theremovable storage920 may be embodied in various memory card formats including, but not limited to, PC card, CompactFlash card, memory stick, secure digital (“SD”), miniSD, microSD, universal integrated circuit card (“UICC”) (e.g., a subscriber identity module (“SIM”) or universal SIM (“USIM”)), a proprietary format, or the like.

It can be understood that one or more of thememory components904 can store an operating system. According to various configurations, the operating system includes, but is not limited to WINDOWS MOBILE OS from Microsoft Corporation of Redmond, Wash., WINDOWS PHONE OS from Microsoft Corporation, WINDOWS from Microsoft Corporation, BLACKBERRY OS from Research In Motion Limited of Waterloo, Ontario, Canada, IOS from Apple Inc. of Cupertino, Calif., and ANDROID OS from Google Inc. of Mountain View, Calif. Other operating systems are contemplated.

Thenetwork connectivity components906 include a wireless wide area network component (“WWAN component”)922, a wireless local area network component (“WLAN component”)924, and a wireless personal area network component (“WPAN component”)926. Thenetwork connectivity components906 facilitate communications to and from thenetwork956 or another network, which may be a WWAN, a WLAN, or a WPAN. Although only thenetwork956 is illustrated, thenetwork connectivity components906 may facilitate simultaneous communication with multiple networks, including thenetwork956 ofFIG. 9. For example, thenetwork connectivity components906 may facilitate simultaneous communications with multiple networks via one or more of a WWAN, a WLAN, or a WPAN.

Thenetwork956 may be or may include a WWAN, such as a mobile telecommunications network utilizing one or more mobile telecommunications technologies to provide voice and/or data services to a computing device utilizing thecomputing device architecture900 via theWWAN component922. The mobile telecommunications technologies can include, but are not limited to, Global System for Mobile communications (“GSM”), Code Division Multiple Access (“CDMA”) ONE, CDMA7000, Universal Mobile Telecommunications System (“UMTS”), Long Term Evolution (“LTE”), and Worldwide Interoperability for Microwave Access (“WiMAX”). Moreover, thenetwork956 may utilize various channel access methods (which may or may not be used by the aforementioned standards) including, but not limited to, Time Division Multiple Access (“TDMA”), Frequency Division Multiple Access (“FDMA”), CDMA, wideband CDMA (“W-CDMA”), Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplexing (“OFDM”), Space Division Multiple Access (“SDMA”), and the like. Data communications may be provided using General Packet Radio Service (“GPRS”), Enhanced Data rates for Global Evolution (“EDGE”), the High-Speed Packet Access (“HSPA”) protocol family including High-Speed Downlink Packet Access (“HSDPA”), Enhanced Uplink (“EUL”) or otherwise termed High-Speed Uplink Packet Access (“HSUPA”), Evolved HSPA (“HSPA+”), LTE, and various other current and future wireless data access standards. Thenetwork956 may be configured to provide voice and/or data communications with any combination of the above technologies. Thenetwork956 may be configured to or adapted to provide voice and/or data communications in accordance with future generation technologies.

In some configurations, theWWAN component922 is configured to provide dual-multi-mode connectivity to thenetwork956. For example, theWWAN component922 may be configured to provide connectivity to thenetwork956, wherein thenetwork956 provides service via GSM and UMTS technologies, or via some other combination of technologies. Alternatively,multiple WWAN components922 may be utilized to perform such functionality, and/or provide additional functionality to support other non-compatible technologies (i.e., incapable of being supported by a single WWAN component). TheWWAN component922 may facilitate similar connectivity to multiple networks (e.g., a UMTS network and an LTE network).

Thenetwork956 may be a WLAN operating in accordance with one or more Institute of Electrical and Electronic Engineers (“IEEE”) 802.11 standards, such as IEEE 802.11a, 802.11b, 802.11g, 802.11n, and/or future 802.11 standard (referred to herein collectively as WI-FI). Draft 802.11 standards are also contemplated. In some configurations, the WLAN is implemented utilizing one or more wireless WI-FI access points. In some configurations, one or more of the wireless WI-FI access points are another computing device with connectivity to a WWAN that are functioning as a WI-FI hotspot. TheWLAN component924 is configured to connect to thenetwork956 via the WI-FI access points. Such connections may be secured via various encryption technologies including, but not limited, WI-FI Protected Access (“WPA”), WPA2, Wired Equivalent Privacy (“WEP”), and the like.

Thenetwork956 may be a WPAN operating in accordance with Infrared Data Association (“IrDA”), BLUETOOTH, wireless Universal Serial Bus (“USB”), Z-Wave, ZIGBEE, or some other short-range wireless technology. In some configurations, theWPAN component926 is configured to facilitate communications with other devices, such as peripherals, computers, or other computing devices via the WPAN.

Thesensor components908 include amagnetometer928, an ambientlight sensor930, aproximity sensor932, anaccelerometer934, agyroscope936, and a Global Positioning System sensor (“GPS sensor”)938. It is contemplated that other sensors, such as, but not limited to, temperature sensors or shock detection sensors, also may be incorporated in thecomputing device architecture900.

Themagnetometer928 is configured to measure the strength and direction of a magnetic field. In some configurations themagnetometer928 provides measurements to a compass application program stored within one of thememory components904 in order to provide a user with accurate directions in a frame of reference including the cardinal directions, north, south, east, and west. Similar measurements may be provided to a navigation application program that includes a compass component. Other uses of measurements obtained by themagnetometer928 are contemplated.

The ambientlight sensor930 is configured to measure ambient light. In some configurations, the ambientlight sensor930 provides measurements to an application program stored within one of thememory components904 in order to automatically adjust the brightness of a display (described below) to compensate for low-light and high-light environments. Other uses of measurements obtained by the ambientlight sensor930 are contemplated.

Theproximity sensor932 is configured to detect the presence of an object in proximity to the computing device without direct contact. In some configurations, theproximity sensor932 detects the presence of a user's body (e.g., the user's face) and provides this information to an application program stored within one of thememory components904 that utilizes the proximity information to enable or disable some functionality of the computing device. For example, a telephone application program may automatically disable a touchscreen (described below) in response to receiving the proximity information so that the user's face does not inadvertently end a call or enable/disable other functionality within the telephone application program during the call. Other uses of proximity as detected by theproximity sensor932 are contemplated.

Theaccelerometer934 is configured to measure proper acceleration. In some configurations, output from theaccelerometer934 is used by an application program as an input mechanism to control some functionality of the application program. For example, the application program may be a video game in which a character, a portion thereof, or an object is moved or otherwise manipulated in response to input received via theaccelerometer934. In some configurations, output from theaccelerometer934 is provided to an application program for use in switching between landscape and portrait modes, calculating coordinate acceleration, or detecting a fall. Other uses of theaccelerometer934 are contemplated.

Thegyroscope936 is configured to measure and maintain orientation. In some configurations, output from thegyroscope936 is used by an application program as an input mechanism to control some functionality of the application program. For example, thegyroscope936 can be used for accurate recognition of movement within a 3D environment of a video game application or some other application. In some configurations, an application program utilizes output from thegyroscope936 and theaccelerometer934 to enhance control of some functionality of the application program. Other uses of thegyroscope936 are contemplated.

TheGPS sensor938 is configured to receive signals from GPS satellites for use in calculating a location. The location calculated by theGPS sensor938 may be used by any application program that requires or benefits from location information. For example, the location calculated by theGPS sensor938 may be used with a navigation application program to provide directions from the location to a destination or directions from the destination to the location. Moreover, theGPS sensor938 may be used to provide location information to an external location-based service, such as E911 service. TheGPS sensor938 may obtain location information generated via WI-FI, WIMAX, and/or cellular triangulation techniques utilizing one or more of thenetwork connectivity components906 to aid theGPS sensor938 in obtaining a location fix. TheGPS sensor938 may also be used in Assisted GPS (“A-GPS”) systems.

The I/O components910 include adisplay940, atouchscreen942, a data I/O interface component (“data I/O”)944, an audio I/O interface component (“audio I/O”)946, a video I/O interface component (“video I/O”)948, and acamera950. In some configurations, thedisplay940 and thetouchscreen942 are combined. In some configurations two or more of the data I/O component944, the audio I/O component946, and the video I/O component948 are combined. The I/O components910 may include discrete processors configured to support the various interface described below, or may include processing functionality built-in to theprocessor902.

Thedisplay940 is an output device configured to present information in a visual form. In particular, thedisplay940 may present graphical user interface (“GUI”) elements, text, images, video, notifications, virtual buttons, virtual keyboards, messaging data, Internet content, device status, time, date, calendar data, preferences, map information, location information, and any other information that is capable of being presented in a visual form. In some configurations, thedisplay940 is a liquid crystal display (“LCD”) utilizing any active or passive matrix technology and any backlighting technology (if used). In some configurations, thedisplay940 is an organic light emitting diode (“OLED”) display. Other display types are contemplated.

Thetouchscreen942, also referred to herein as a “touch-enabled screen,” is an input device configured to detect the presence and location of a touch. Thetouchscreen942 may be a resistive touchscreen, a capacitive touchscreen, a surface acoustic wave touchscreen, an infrared touchscreen, an optical imaging touchscreen, a dispersive signal touchscreen, an acoustic pulse recognition touchscreen, or may utilize any other touchscreen technology. In some configurations, thetouchscreen942 is incorporated on top of thedisplay940 as a transparent layer to enable a user to use one or more touches to interact with objects or other information presented on thedisplay940. In other configurations, thetouchscreen942 is a touch pad incorporated on a surface of the computing device that does not include thedisplay940. For example, the computing device may have a touchscreen incorporated on top of thedisplay940 and a touch pad on a surface opposite thedisplay940.

In some configurations, thetouchscreen942 is a single-touch touchscreen. In other configurations, thetouchscreen942 is a multi-touch touchscreen. In some configurations, thetouchscreen942 is configured to detect discrete touches, single touch gestures, and/or multi-touch gestures. These are collectively referred to herein as gestures for convenience. Several gestures will now be described. It should be understood that these gestures are illustrative and are not intended to limit the scope of the appended claims. Moreover, the described gestures, additional gestures, and/or alternative gestures may be implemented in software for use with thetouchscreen942. As such, a developer may create gestures that are specific to a particular application program.

In some configurations, thetouchscreen942 supports a tap gesture in which a user taps thetouchscreen942 once on an item presented on thedisplay940. The tap gesture may be used for various reasons including, but not limited to, opening or launching whatever the user taps. In some configurations, thetouchscreen942 supports a double tap gesture in which a user taps thetouchscreen942 twice on an item presented on thedisplay940. The double tap gesture may be used for various reasons including, but not limited to, zooming in or zooming out in stages. In some configurations, thetouchscreen942 supports a tap and hold gesture in which a user taps thetouchscreen942 and maintains contact for at least a pre-defined time. The tap and hold gesture may be used for various reasons including, but not limited to, opening a context-specific menu.

In some configurations, thetouchscreen942 supports a pan gesture in which a user places a finger on thetouchscreen942 and maintains contact with thetouchscreen942 while moving the finger on thetouchscreen942. The pan gesture may be used for various reasons including, but not limited to, moving through screens, images, or menus at a controlled rate. Multiple finger pan gestures are also contemplated. In some configurations, thetouchscreen942 supports a flick gesture in which a user swipes a finger in the direction the user wants the screen to move. The flick gesture may be used for various reasons including, but not limited to, scrolling horizontally or vertically through menus or pages. In some configurations, thetouchscreen942 supports a pinch and stretch gesture in which a user makes a pinching motion with two fingers (e.g., thumb and forefinger) on thetouchscreen942 or moves the two fingers apart. The pinch and stretch gesture may be used for various reasons including, but not limited to, zooming gradually in or out of a website, map, or picture.

Although the above gestures have been described with reference to the use one or more fingers for performing the gestures, other appendages such as toes or objects such as styluses may be used to interact with thetouchscreen942. As such, the above gestures should be understood as being illustrative and should not be construed as being limiting in any way.

The data I/O interface component944 is configured to facilitate input of data to the computing device and output of data from the computing device. In some configurations, the data I/O interface component944 includes a connector configured to provide wired connectivity between the computing device and a computer system, for example, for synchronization operation purposes. The connector may be a proprietary connector or a standardized connector such as USB, micro-USB, mini-USB, or the like. In some configurations, the connector is a dock connector for docking the computing device with another device such as a docking station, audio device (e.g., a digital music player), or video device.

The audio I/O interface component946 is configured to provide audio input and/or output capabilities to the computing device. In some configurations, the audio I/O interface component946 includes a microphone configured to collect audio signals. In some configurations, the audio I/O interface component946 includes a headphone jack configured to provide connectivity for headphones or other external speakers. In some configurations, the audio I/O interface component946 includes a speaker for the output of audio signals. In some configurations, the audio I/O interface component946 includes an optical audio cable out.

The video I/O interface component948 is configured to provide video input and/or output capabilities to the computing device. In some configurations, the video I/O interface component948 includes a video connector configured to receive video as input from another device (e.g., a video media player such as a DVD or BLURAY player) or send video as output to another device (e.g., a monitor, a television, or some other external display). In some configurations, the video I/O interface component948 includes a High-Definition Multimedia Interface (“HDMI”), mini-HDMI, micro-HDMI, DisplayPort, or proprietary connector to input/output video content. In some configurations, the video I/O interface component948 or portions thereof is combined with the audio I/O interface component946 or portions thereof.

Thecamera950 can be configured to capture still images and/or video. Thecamera950 may utilize a charge coupled device (“CCD”) or a complementary metal oxide semiconductor (“CMOS”) image sensor to capture images. In some configurations, thecamera950 includes a flash to aid in taking pictures in low-light environments. Settings for thecamera950 may be implemented as hardware or software buttons.

Although not illustrated, one or more hardware buttons may also be included in thecomputing device architecture900. The hardware buttons may be used for controlling some operational aspect of the computing device. The hardware buttons may be dedicated buttons or multi-use buttons. The hardware buttons may be mechanical or sensor-based.

The illustratedpower components914 include one ormore batteries952, which can be connected to abattery gauge954. Thebatteries952 may be rechargeable or disposable. Rechargeable battery types include, but are not limited to, lithium polymer, lithium ion, nickel cadmium, and nickel metal hydride. Each of thebatteries952 may be made of one or more cells.

Thebattery gauge954 can be configured to measure battery parameters such as current, voltage, and temperature. In some configurations, thebattery gauge954 is configured to measure the effect of a battery's discharge rate, temperature, age and other factors to predict remaining life within a certain percentage of error. In some configurations, thebattery gauge954 provides measurements to an application program that is configured to utilize the measurements to present useful power management data to a user. Power management data may include one or more of a percentage of battery used, a percentage of battery remaining, a battery condition, a remaining time, a remaining capacity (e.g., in watt hours), a current draw, and a voltage.

Thepower components912 may also include a power connector, which may be combined with one or more of the aforementioned I/O components910. Thepower components912 may interface with an external power system or charging equipment via an I/O component.

The disclosure presented herein may be considered in view of the following clauses.

Clause A: A first computing device, comprising: a processor; a hardware display surface; one or more input devices; a memory having computer-executable instructions stored thereupon which, when executed by the processor, cause the first computing device to obtain control data defining one or more commands configured to cause an execution of a second set of computer-executable instructions at a second computing device, wherein the second computing device is configured to interact with an object, obtain status data indicating a status associated with the second computing device or the object, cause a display of one or more graphical elements comprising the status data and the one or more commands on the hardware display surface, wherein the hardware display surface is configured to display the one or more graphical elements with a real-world view of the object through a transparent section of the hardware display surface, and communicate the one or more commands to the second computing device in response to a selection of the one or more commands detected by the one or more input devices, wherein the communication of the one or more commands causes an execution of at least a portion of the second set of computer-executable instructions at the second computing device.

Clause B: The computing device of Clause A, wherein the execution of at least the portion of the second set of computer-executable instructions at the second computing device controls at least one component of the object.

Clause C: The computing device of Clauses A-B, wherein the computer-executable instructions further cause the first computing device to: obtain identification data indicating an association between an address of the second computing device and at least one physical characteristic of the object; analyze image data from the one or more input devices to generate data defining an identified physical characteristic of the object; select the object based, at least in part, on the data defining the identified physical characteristic of the object and the identification data indicating the at least one physical characteristic of the object; and initiate a communication connection with the second computing device in response to the selection of the object, wherein the communication connection is established by the use of the address of the second computing device.

Clause D: The computing device of Clauses A-C, wherein the computer-executable instructions further cause the first computing device to: obtain identification data indicating an association between an address of the second computing device and at least one physical characteristic of the object; analyze image data from the one or more input devices to generate data defining an identified physical characteristic of the object; select the object based, at least in part, on the data defining the identified physical characteristic of the object and the identification data indicating the at least one physical characteristic of the object; and communicate a request for the control data to the second computing device in response to the selection of the object, wherein the request is communicated by the use of the address of the second computing device.

Clause E: The computing device of Clauses A-D, wherein the computer-executable instructions further cause the first computing device to: receive data defining a location of the second computing device; receive data defining a location of the first computing device; receive gaze direction data defining a direction of a field of view of the hardware display surface; and select the object based, at least in part, on the data defining the location of the second computing device, the data defining the location of the first computing device, and the gaze direction data, and wherein the display of the one or more graphical elements is caused in response to the selection of the object.

Clause F: The computing device of Clauses A-E, wherein the computer-executable instructions further cause the first computing device to determine if the gaze direction data indicates that the field of view is directed toward the object, and wherein the second computing device is selected if the gaze direction data indicates that the field of view is directed toward the object.

Clause G: The computing device of Clauses A-F, wherein the computer-executable instructions further cause the first computing device to: determine if the first computing device is within a predetermined distance from the second computing device; and select the object if the data defining the location of the second computing device and the data defining the location of the first computing device indicate that the first computing device is within the predetermined distance from the second computing device, and wherein the display of the one or more graphical elements is caused in response to the selection of the object.

Clause H: The computing device of Clauses A-G, wherein the selection of the one or more commands detected by the one or more input devices comprises an input signal indicating the selection, wherein the signal is caused by at least one of a voice command, a gesture command, and a key input command.

Clause I: A computer-implemented method, comprising: obtaining, at a first computing device, control data defining one or more commands configured to cause an execution of a second set of computer-executable instructions at a second computing device, wherein the second computing device is configured to interact with an object, causing a display of one or more graphical elements comprising the one or more commands on the hardware display surface, wherein the hardware display surface is configured to display the one or more graphical elements with a real-world view of the object through a transparent section of the hardware display surface, and communicating the one or more commands from the first computing device to the second computing device in response to a selection of the one or more commands detected by the one or more input devices, wherein the communication of the one or more commands causes an execution of at least a portion of the second set of computer-executable instructions at the second computing device.

Clause J: The computer-implemented method of Clause I, wherein the one or more graphical elements are configured to indicate an association between the real-world view of the object and the display of the one or more graphical elements comprising the one or more commands.

Clause K: The computer-implemented method of Clauses I-J, wherein the one or more graphical elements are configured to indicate an association between a rendering of a component of object and the display of the one or more graphical elements comprising the one or more commands.

Clause L: The computer-implemented method of Clauses I-K, further comprising, in response to the selection of the one or more commands, causing a modification of the one or more graphical elements to indicate an association between a real-world view of a component of the object and the display of the one or more graphical elements comprising the one or more commands.

Clause M: The computer-implemented method of Clauses I-L, further comprising, in response to the selection of the one or more commands, causing a modification of the one or more graphical elements to indicate an association between the real-world view of the object and the display of the one or more graphical elements comprising the one or more commands.

Clause N: A first computing device, comprising: a processor; a hardware display surface; one or more input devices; a memory having computer-executable instructions stored thereupon which, when executed by the processor, cause the first computing device to obtain control data defining one or more commands configured to cause an execution of a second set of computer-executable instructions at one or more controller devices, wherein the one or more controller devices are configured to interact with one or more objects, cause a display of one or more graphical elements comprising the one or more commands on the hardware display surface, wherein the display further comprises a rendering of the one or more controller devices or a rendering of the one or more objects, and communicate the one or more commands to the one or more controller devices in response to a selection of the one or more commands detected by the one or more input devices, wherein the communication of the one or more commands causes an execution of at least a portion of the second set of computer-executable instructions at the one or more controller devices.

Clause O: The computer-implemented method of Clause N, wherein the execution of at least the portion of the second set of computer-executable instructions at the one or more controller devices controls at least one component of the one or more objects.

Clause P: The computer-implemented method of Clauses N-O, wherein the computer-executable instructions further cause the first computing device to: obtain identification data indicating an association between an address of the one or more controller devices and at least one physical characteristic of the one or more objects; analyze image data from the one or more input devices to generate data defining an identified physical characteristic of the one or more objects; select the one or more objects based, at least in part, on the data defining the identified physical characteristic of the one or more objects and the identification data indicating the at least one physical characteristic of the one or more objects, wherein the display of the one or more graphical elements is caused in response to the selection of the one or more objects, and wherein the communication of the one or more commands is based, at least in part, on the address.

Clause Q: The computer-implemented method of Clauses N-P, wherein the computer-executable instructions further cause the first computing device to: obtain identification data indicating an association between an address of the one or more controller devices and at least one physical characteristic of the one or more objects; analyze image data from the one or more input devices to generate data defining an identified physical characteristic of the one or more objects; select the one or more objects based, at least in part, on the data defining the identified physical characteristic of the one or more objects and the identification data indicating the at least one physical characteristic of the one or more objects, wherein the display of the one or more graphical elements is caused in response to the selection of the one or more objects, and wherein the communication of the one or more commands is based, at least in part, on the address.

Clause R: The computer-implemented method of Clauses N-Q: wherein the computer-executable instructions further cause the first computing device to: receive data defining a location of the one or more objects; receive data defining a location of the first computing device; receive gaze direction data defining a direction of a field of view of the hardware display surface; and select the one or more objects based, at least in part, on the data defining the location of the one or more objects, the data defining the location of the first computing device, and the gaze direction data, and wherein the display of the one or more graphical elements is caused in response to the selection of the one or more objects.

Clause S: The computer-implemented method of Clauses N-R, wherein the computer-executable instructions further cause the first computing device to utilize data caused by the one or more input sensors to determine if the gaze direction data indicates that the field of view is directed toward the one or more objects, and wherein the one or more objects is selected if the gaze direction data indicates that the field of view is directed toward the one or more objects.

Clause T: The computer-implemented method of Clauses N-S, wherein the computer-executable instructions further cause the first computing device to:

determine if the first computing device is within a predetermined distance from the one or more objects; and select the one or more objects if the data defining the location of the one or more objects and the data defining the location of the first computing device indicate that the first computing device is within the predetermined distance from the one or more objects, and wherein the display of the one or more graphical elements is caused in response to the selection of the one or more objects.

Based on the foregoing, it should be appreciated that concepts and technologies have been disclosed herein that provide, among other techniques, a mixed environment display of attached control elements. Although the subject matter presented herein has been described in language specific to computer structural features, methodological and transformative acts, specific computing machinery, and computer readable media, it is to be understood that the invention defined in the appended claims is not necessarily limited to the specific features, acts, or media described herein. Rather, the specific features, acts and mediums are disclosed as example forms of implementing the claims.

The subject matter described above is provided by way of illustration only and should not be construed as limiting. Various modifications and changes may be made to the subject matter described herein without following the example configurations and applications illustrated and described, and without departing from the true spirit and scope of the present invention, which is set forth in the following claims.

Claims (20)

What is claimed is:

1. A first computing device, comprising:

a processor;

a hardware display surface;

one or more input devices;

a memory having computer-executable instructions stored thereupon which, when executed by the processor, cause the first computing device to

obtain control data defining one or more commands configured to cause an execution of a second set of computer-executable instructions at a second computing device, wherein the second computing device is configured to interact with an object,

analyze image data from the one or more input devices to identify a physical characteristic of the object,

obtain identification data indicating an association between a network address of the second computing device and the physical characteristic of the object,

establish a connection with the second computing device using the network address in response to identifying the physical characteristic of the object,

obtain status data indicating a status associated with the second computing device or the object,

cause a display of one or more graphical elements comprising the status data and the one or more commands on the hardware display surface, wherein the hardware display surface is configured to display the one or more graphical elements with a real-world view of the object through a transparent section of the hardware display surface,

capture a gesture of at least a portion of a hand, performed by a user, wherein the gesture is viewable by the user through the transparent section in the transparent section of the hardware display surface, and wherein the gesture is viewable by the user with the real-world view of the object,

select at least one of the one or more graphical elements based on the gesture, and

communicate the one or more commands to the second computing device in response to the selection of the one or more commands detected by the one or more input devices, wherein the communication of the one or more commands causes an execution of at least a portion of the second set of computer-executable instructions at the second computing device.

2. The computing device ofclaim 1, wherein the execution of at least the portion of the second set of computer-executable instructions at the second computing device controls at least one component of the object.

3. The computing device ofclaim 1, wherein the computer-executable instructions further cause the first computing device to:

select the object based, at least in part, on data defining the identified physical characteristic; and

initiate the connection in response to the selection of the object.

4. The computing device ofclaim 1, wherein the computer-executable instructions further cause the first computing device to:

select the object based, at least in part, on data defining the identified physical characteristic of the object; and

communicate a request for the control data to the second computing device in response to the selection of the object, wherein the request is communicated by the use of the network address of the second computing device.

5. The computing device ofclaim 1, wherein the computer-executable instructions further cause the first computing device to:

receive data defining a location of the second computing device;

receive data defining a location of the first computing device;

receive gaze direction data defining a direction of a field of view of the hardware display surface; and

select the object based, at least in part, on the data defining the location of the second computing device, the data defining the location of the first computing device, and the gaze direction data, and wherein the display of the one or more graphical elements is caused in response to the selection of the object.

6. The computing device ofclaim 5, wherein the computer-executable instructions further cause the first computing device to determine if the gaze direction data indicates that the field of view is directed toward the object, and wherein the second computing device is selected if the gaze direction data indicates that the field of view is directed toward the object.

7. The computing device ofclaim 5, wherein the computer-executable instructions further cause the first computing device to:

determine if the first computing device is within a predetermined distance from the second computing device; and

select the object if the data defining the location of the second computing device and the data defining the location of the first computing device indicate that the first computing device is within the predetermined distance from the second computing device, and wherein the display of the one or more graphical elements is caused in response to the selection of the object.

8. The computing device ofclaim 1, wherein the selection of the one or more commands detected by the one or more input devices comprises interpreting an input signal indicating the selection of the one or more commands.

9. A computer-implemented method, comprising:

obtaining, at a first computing device, control data defining one or more commands configured to cause an execution of a second set of computer-executable instructions at a second computing device, wherein the second computing device is configured to interact with an object,

analyzing image data from the one or more input devices to identify a physical characteristic of the object,

obtaining identification data indicating an association between a network address of the second computing device and the physical characteristic of the object,

establishing a connection with the second computing device using the network address in response to identifying the physical characteristic of the object,

causing a display of one or more graphical elements comprising the one or more commands on a hardware display surface associated with the first computing device, wherein the hardware display surface is configured to display the one or more graphical elements with a real-world view of the object through a transparent section of the hardware display surface, the real-world view of the object provided by a camera generating a video feed of an environment around the first computing device,

capturing a gesture of at least a portion of a hand, performed by a user, wherein the gesture is viewable by the user through the transparent section in the transparent section of the hardware display surface, and wherein the gesture is viewable by the user with the real-world view of the object,

selecting at least one of the one or more graphical elements based on the gesture, and

communicating the one or more commands from the first computing device to the second computing device in response to the selection of the one or more commands detected by the one or more input devices, wherein the communication of the one or more commands causes an execution of at least a portion of the second set of computer-executable instructions at the second computing device.

10. The method ofclaim 9, wherein the one or more graphical elements are configured to indicate an association between the real-world view of the object and the display of the one or more graphical elements comprising the one or more commands.

11. The method ofclaim 9, wherein the one or more graphical elements are configured to indicate an association between a rendering of a component of object and the display of the one or more graphical elements comprising the one or more commands.

12. The method ofclaim 9, further comprising, in response to the selection of the one or more commands, causing a modification of the one or more graphical elements to indicate an association between a real-world view of a component of the object and the display of the one or more graphical elements comprising the one or more commands.

13. The method ofclaim 9, further comprising, in response to the selection of the one or more commands, causing a modification of the one or more graphical elements to indicate an association between the real-world view of the object and the display of the one or more graphical elements comprising the one or more commands.

14. A first computing device, comprising:

a processor;

a hardware display surface;

one or more input devices;

a memory having computer-executable instructions stored thereupon which, when executed by the processor, cause the first computing device to

obtain control data defining one or more commands configured to cause an execution of a second set of computer-executable instructions at one or more controller devices, wherein the one or more controller devices are configured to interact with one or more objects,

analyze image data from the one or more input devices to identify a physical characteristic of the one or more objects,

obtain identification data indicating an association between a network address of the second computing device and the physical characteristic of the one or more objects,

establish a connection with the second computing device using the network address in response to identifying the physical characteristic of the one or more objects,

cause a display of one or more graphical elements comprising the one or more commands on the hardware display surface, wherein the display further comprises a rendering of a real-world view of the one or more objects,

capture a gesture performed by a user, wherein the gesture is viewable by the user through the transparent section in the transparent section of the hardware display surface, and wherein the gesture is viewable by the user with the real-world view of the one or more objects,

select at least one of the one or more graphical elements based on the gesture, and

communicate the one or more commands to the one or more controller devices in response to the selection of the one or more commands detected by the one or more input devices, wherein the communication of the one or more commands causes an execution of at least a portion of the second set of computer-executable instructions at the one or more controller devices.

15. The computing device ofclaim 14, wherein the execution of at least the portion of the second set of computer-executable instructions at the one or more controller devices controls at least one component of the one or more objects.

16. The computing device ofclaim 15, wherein the computer-executable instructions further cause the first computing device to:

select the one or more objects based, at least in part, on data defining the identified physical characteristic of the one or more objects, wherein the display of the one or more graphical elements is caused in response to the selection of the one or more objects, and wherein the communication of the one or more commands uses the network address.

17. The computing device ofclaim 14, wherein the computer-executable instructions further cause the first computing device to:

select the one or more objects based, at least in part, on data defining the identified physical characteristic of the one or more objects, wherein the display of the one or more graphical elements is caused in response to the selection of the one or more objects, and wherein the communication of the one or more commands is based, at least in part, on the network address.

18. The computing device ofclaim 14, wherein the computer-executable instructions further cause the first computing device to:

receive data defining a location of the one or more objects;

receive data defining a location of the first computing device;

receive gaze direction data defining a direction of a field of view of the hardware display surface; and

select the one or more objects based, at least in part, on the data defining the location of the one or more objects, the data defining the location of the first computing device, and the gaze direction data, and wherein the display of the one or more graphical elements is caused in response to the selection of the one or more objects.

19. The computing device ofclaim 18, wherein the computer-executable instructions further cause the first computing device to utilize data caused by the one or more input sensors to determine if the gaze direction data indicates that the field of view is directed toward the one or more objects, and wherein the one or more objects is selected if the gaze direction data indicates that the field of view is directed toward the one or more objects.

20. The computing device ofclaim 18, wherein the computer-executable instructions further cause the first computing device to:

determine if the first computing device is within a predetermined distance from the one or more objects; and

select the one or more objects if the data defining the location of the one or more objects and the data defining the location of the first computing device indicate that the first computing device is within the predetermined distance from the one or more objects, and wherein the display of the one or more graphical elements is caused in response to the selection of the one or more objects.

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